It’s 12th Avenue week here at CDNews, and this time it’s really good news. Today the city parks department released the draft list of projects that would be funded through the Opportunity Fund that was provided in the Parks & Green Space Levy.

The big winner is the James Court Woonerf that the neighborhood has proposed for installation next to the forthcoming James Court Park on 12th Avenue. It has made the draft list with a $500,000 budget allocation, which should be enough to turn the sleepy side street into a landscaped, pedestrian-scale plaza. 

In addition to extending the perceived size of the new park that will be next to it, the project is intended to provide a connection an transition to Seattle U’s new student housing and ground-floor retail that is now taking shape on the block just to the north.

Another project on the north border of the Central District is also slated for funding. The 19th & Madison Neighborhood Park is allocated $473,000. Stay tuned as we find out more about that project and bring it to you in a separate story.

The proposed Jimi Hendrix Park next to NWAAM on the south end of the neighborhood was also hoping for funding, but as of now it is only on the alternate list of projects. We’ve got a note out to find out more about that process and figure out what the odds are that it could move up in the list.

A public hearing on the draft list of projects is scheduled for October 25th at  7pm, nearby at the Miller Community Center on 19th Avenue. Final recommendations will be made by the Parks Oversight Committee on December 6th, with final approval granted by the city council.

A full list of projects citywide is attached at left.